


Awake

by oakest



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Missing Scene, between episodes 6-7 of season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23996920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakest/pseuds/oakest
Summary: Cho doesn’t lose sleep.Until one night when he does.
Kudos: 12





	Awake

**Author's Note:**

> A little scene to see what Cho was doing while Jane confronted his Red John suspects in Fire and Brimstone (s6 e06). Only because I love Cho with all my heart.

Cho doesn’t lose sleep.

Not about anything. There’s no demon strong enough to keep him up at night if he wants to sleep. He’s never understood the concept. If something is bothering him that much, he just fixes it. If it’s something he can’t fix before going to bed, then there’s really nothing to be gained from tossing and turning anyways, so he forces himself to accept that and sleep. Cho has never lost sleep over anything.

At least, not until now.

He can’t explain why. Not even to himself. It isn’t logical; he had slept like a baby when he was overseas getting shot at on a daily basis. Somehow, though, his own life being in danger was much less suspenseful than thinking about Jane facing Red John. Damn if he doesn’t care about Jane more than he should.

The caring had crept up on him. He didn’t mean to care so much for his team. Especially not Jane - Cho initially saw Jane as a smartass con artist who would have no reservations lying to and exploiting Cho. All of that turned out to be true. (Cho is usually right.) He missed one thing, though: Jane is inexplicably kind of lovable. Even as impish as he is, he’s lovable.

And so it happened slowly. Before he knew it, Jane was making him smile. Not many people earned that. Cho doesn’t like surrendering control of his emotions to other people, even if it’s happiness. Because as soon as you let someone make you smile, they’ll sucker punch you with their sadness before you can blink. That’s always been Cho’s rule, and again, it proved itself true. Whenever Jane is hurt, Cho feels it. He feels the world around him shift off kilter. It doesn’t matter that, half the time, whatever hurricane Jane is caught in is one he created himself; Cho still comes close to losing his grip every time Jane’s in danger.

He likes to deny it, to think that he’s always in control, but tonight has proved everything Cho is too afraid to admit to himself. The hours of the day had passed in slow motion, every minute ticking on impossibly long. He’d done his part to help Jane coordinate the meeting with his suspects. There was nothing more for him to do. It was Jane’s battle to fight. Cho doesn’t share Lisbon’s deeper need to adhere to the rules, so he doesn’t mind entrusting justice in his friend’s hands this once. He believes in Jane. Either his plan is going to work or it isn’t. No matter what, Cho’s only job now is to keep his phone on, wait for the news of what happens, and help deal with the fallout when it comes. That’s all he can do.

Which is why it’s nonsense that he can’t bring himself to sleep. He’s trained himself to wake up whenever his phone rings, so it’d be better if he could just rest now and be more prepared for whatever he hears when he finally gets that call. But sleep will not come. For a while, he lays in bed, staring at the ceiling. Then that starts to feel too pathetic. He tries standing and looking out his window instead. It’s equally pointless. Cho feels like he might as well throw his hands in the air and give it all up. He sits on the edge of his bed and sighs. If Jane lives through this, Cho will have to admonish him for making Cho care so damn much about him. _If he lives_. The thought catches in his throat and burns there. He does his best to take controlled breaths.

Cho stays unmoving, mind blank, feeling incredibly _awake_. It could be two hours or two years. He feels like he might sit here forever.

But the call does come. The phone vibrates on his bedside table.

Breathe in, breath out. Reach for the phone. See Lisbon’s name. Press accept. Breathe in, breathe out.

“What happened?”

“There was an explosion. Get in your car and come to the hospital, now. I’ll explain while you’re on the way.”

Cho’s already jumping up, grabbing his keys as he jogs towards his front door. “Jane?”

“He’s going to be okay.”

Breathe in, breathe out.


End file.
